Vehicle-tire.



PATENTED FEB. 13, 1906.

H. R. AULD. van-101 3 TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13, 1905.

"UNITED STATES HUGH R. AULD, OF BOS 0N, MASSACHUSETTS.

VEHlCLE-TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1906.

Application filed February ls, 1905. Serial No. 245,364.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH RAULD, of Bos-' ton,in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Vehicle-Tires, of which the foll owing is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide in a tire having flanges to support retainingwires, which hold the tire into the rim channel of a vehicle-wheel, an improved device for stiifenin the base of a tireand preventing it from eing pulled out from under the retaining wires whenlateral stresses are a plied to the tread portion, and also to provi e means for resisting the tendency of the flanges to tear away from the body of the tire when such-stresses are applied, as when the vehicle turns a corner sharply.

The invention comprises the novel features which I will now proceed to describe and claim. 4

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a cross-sectional view of a tire embodying my invention and the rim-channel of a vehicle-wheel and the retaining-wires for holding the tire in place in the channel. Figs. 2 and 3 represent, respectively, a sectional view and a plan view of a portion of the metal stiffener plate or grid which is embedded in the base portion of the tire and acts to stiflen the same. Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of a modified form of stiffener.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures;

a represents the usual metal rim-channel, which is ap lied to a vehicle-wheel when the latter is to e fitted with rubber tires and is provided with lateral flanges b b.

c is the tire, which has the tread portions 0 and base ortion 0 the latter portion having at its si e the flanges d and d, which pro ject laterally from the body of the tire on both sides of the tread portion and extend throughout the length of the tire. These flanges are provided for the purpose of supporting the usual retaining members b e, which are preferably formed of wire bent into hoop shape and joined at their ends, thus complete y encircling the flanges and wheelrim, holding the tire securely' in the rimchannel. I

In order to stiffen the base portion of the tire to prevent the latter and the flanges yielding to,a great enough extent to permit one of the flanges being pulled out from beneath a retaining-wire, I provide a stifl'ener or stiffeners f, made, preferably, in the form of a frame having longitudinal side bars f f 2 and cross-bars 1', which join theside bars, being preferably integral therewith, holding them at their roper distance a art. The side bars are hel d separated to sue as to brin their outer portions beneath the upper sur aces of the'fianges which support the retaining wires. Thus the extreme width of the stiffener is greater than that between the retaining-wires, and as the stiffener is of metal and unyielding it cannot pass between the retaining-wires when they are in place, and so it acts to hold the base portion .of the tire extended laterally and revents it from being com ress'ed sufiicienty to pull out from under t e retaining-wires.

The side bars f f are preferably comparatively flat and thin in cross-section and are located in the tire with their widest dimensions arallel' with the base of the tire,

whereby t1ey are enabled to spring slightly whenever under the conditions of use a slight yielding transversely of their length is necessary. w Y

The cross-bars are separated from each other by relatively wide intervals and at those portions where they unite with the side bars are bent sharply outward or u ward away from the side bars toward tffe tread of the tire, the central or intermediate portions of the cross-bars thus being displaced upward, converting the cross-bars into arches. This displacemen of i '2 crossbarsallows them. to. be deeply .mboided in the rubber of the tire, while at the same time the side bars are located near' the bottom surface, being embedded only a sufficient distance in the tire to provide a thin cushion of rubber between them and the surface of the tire, and thus permitting a cushion of comfiml and homogeneously united with the rubber 0th above and beneath thestifl'ener.

The arched formation of the bars is of advantage for the further reason that it increases, the. stiffness of the latter, since it causes those portions of the cross-bars which join the longitudinal bars 'to extend "therefrom at an acute angle to the base of the tire.

an extent- Inasmuch as the pull which is exerted on either side ofthc tire tending to draw the flanges under the retaining-wires is in a direction inclined at anacute angle to the rim of the wheel and in ageneral direction toward the-opposite side of the Wheel-rim, the incli nations at whichthe cross-bars'join the longitudinal bars are substantially the same as.

, these directions of pull. Thus such a pull -,-lunited only by a Single cross-bar. "Whe reas ,"therc would only be two or three of the frameshaped stifi'eners f used in the Whole exten t of tire, thesestiffeners being shaped in the form of an arc and extending over a'half or a I ,third of the circumference of a circle, alar'ge number of the stiffeners g will be used, placed at short distances throughout 'theflength of the tire. VVith' the detached v stifi'eners a single standardsize and shapeniay be used with a relatively wide range of tires of different sizes, while with the stifl'eners each stiilener has to be formed with a' particular shape to adapt it to the tire for which it intended to be used..'

To the upper surfaces of the fianges'and extending upward along the sides of the tread portion of the tire a slight distance above the point of engagement of the retain.- ing-wires therewith are attached binding members; 71 h of lrictioned fabric, which are united to the rubber of the tire by vulcanizer;

' tion. These binding'members may be scpa rate strips of fabric or they may be, and this is the preferred construction, formed as ex tensions'of the usual fabric cover i, extending over thebottoni' and sides of the base portion. These binding members h h firmly tie the flanges male body of the tire and prevent them tearing awaywh'en a latcralstrain is given to the tread. This tendency of the flange, which is held tightly by the retainingwire, to tear away from the body of the tire whenthe treadis pulled laterally causes a great deal of trouble, the touring away from the flange above referred to is ol" l'r quent occurrence and causes the ruining of an otherwise perliectly'good tire. By this in vention of the binding-pieces, therefore, I have provided a means by which the durabilit)" iii a tire is greatly increased.

The wnstruction of the stiiieners having the side bars extending longitudinally of the 'tire and PillllllEl with the wire-engaging surfaces of the flanges and the cross-bars havin their central parts displaced toward the tree, of the tire, which provides the i direetly'againsi the stilieningewires.

.251 of rubber between the retaining-wires and the side bars, while at the sanie'time permitting the cross-bars to be deeply embedded in the'rubher, is designed to cure the objectionable features otstilieners now in use. There have been sti' f fening-wires embedded i1 1tl1etire-eX tendingtransversely thereof; but the ehds of these wires rub against the retaining-wires .and in a short time either become worn through or wear such deep grooves where they engage the stifi'ening-lwires that the latter become useless, so that it frequently happens that'two or three sets of retaining-wires have to be applied to a tire before the latter is worn out. .Even where a cushion of rubber is left between the ends of the stiffeningwires and the retaining-wires this objection is not avoided, because the stiffening-wires having no broad bearing portions quickly cut throughthecrubber flanges and engage With my construction, however, this is not possi hle, since the upper surfaces of the stiffenerhars present such a wide area after they are vulcanized in the tire that it is impossible for them to work-through the rubber and engage the retaining-xvires.' I

Perforated plates embedded in the rubber and having lateral portions engaging the retainii'i'g-wires have also been used but these are objertionahlc for the reason that they also when they engage direetly with the r4 taining-wires cause unnecessarily great wear on the wires, and when they are separated from the wires they weaken the tire-for the reason that the tongues of rubber extending through th'eperl'orations in the plates are not of sutlicient strength to securely unite the portions of the tire on opposite sides of the late, so that the tread and base portions are iablc to separate. There is no chance of this result occurring with niy-st'i'liener, how

ever, inasmuch as the areas of the rubber poitions extending through the spaces between the cross-bars are much greater than those of the bars themselves and also because the stood in connection with Fig 1, wherein the i l-surface of that portion of the tire which isihere illustrated is at the top of the figure and "the base portion at the bottom. Of course a section taken at the-under side of a heel Where the tire is in contact with the ground would be reversed; but ior'convenience terms have been used which apply to the arrangement otFig. -1.

I claim? Q A tire comprising a strip of rubber having flanges upon each side of the tread portiei stifisner consisting of rigid Longitudinal side supporting the retaining-Wires, and a and base surfaces thereof, and a cross-bar joined to the side bars, bent sharply toward the tread-surface of the tire and embedded in the rubber, whereby the stiffener is securely connected to the tire and cushions of'rubber are provided between the wire-en aging surfaces of the flanges and the side bars of the stiffener. v

3. A tire comprising a continuous strip of rubber havin a tread portion and a base portion extende on both sides of the tread portion to form flanges for supporting retaining bands or wires, and astifl'ener consisting of a rigid metallic frame or grid having side bars extendin longitudinally of the tire located at the sic es thereof beneath the wireen aging surfaces of the flanges, and crossars joined to the side bars, said cross-bars being displaced at their intermediate portions toward the tread-surface of the tire and separated from each 'other by relativel wide spaces, whereby they are complete y surroundedby and deeply embedded in the rubber of the tire while athick cushion is provided between the wire-engaging surfaces of the flanges and the side bars.

4. A tire comprising a continuous strip of rubber havin a tread portion and abase portion extende on both sides of the tread portion to form "flanges for supporting retainin bands or wires, a stiffener consisting of a rigi metallic frame or grid embedded in the base I portion 01 the tire, and a fabric covering extending around the base portion of the tire and over the 'wire-engaging'surfaces of the flanges.

5; -Arubber tire having a tread portion and a base-portion formed with lateral flanges, a fabric covering extending over the side and upper surfaces of the flanges and the sides of the said tread portion adjacent the flanges and vulcanized to the tire, and a stiffener consisting of side bars embedded in the sides of the base portion, extendin longitudinally thereof, and a cross-bar j oine to said side bars and embedded in the tire.

' 6. The combination with awheel-rim ohanne] of a rubber tire formed with a tread D01- tion and a base portion, the latter having flanges projecting beside the tread portion and seated in the rim-channel, retainingwires surrounding and engaged with the outer surfaces of the said flanges, binding members offrictioned fabric vulcanized to the tire extending over the wire-engagin surfaces of the flanges between the wires an the rubber and upon the sides of the tread portion, the said bindin members being carried outward on the si( es of the tread portion beyond the wires, whereby the tendency of the flanges to tear away fromthe body of the tire is resisted, and a stiffener embedded in the base portion beneath and out of contact with the retaining-wires.

7. The combination with a vehicle-wheel rim, of a rubber tire having lateral flanges at its base adapted to seat in the rim and to support longitudinal retainin -wires', stiffening members embedded in t e tire close to the base-surface beneath the retaining-wires, and compression members extending transversely of the tire from one stiffening mem- 

